


The dark spots on the sun

by ImTheTrashWriter (orphan_account)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abuse, Abused Hinata Shouyou, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, All teams are amazing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Hurt Hinata Shouyou, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, No Smut, Protective teams, Sorry if i fail to do so, Will try to update as I go, im sorry, still choosing ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:20:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26006356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ImTheTrashWriter
Summary: Shoyo Hinata's life wasn't the best, in fact, it's been one of the worst. His father is gone, his mother became abusive, and he needs to protect Natsu while making sure everyone around him is alright. He can fake it for so long, what happens when something or someone takes that away, what can he do to make sure the team is safe?Don't ask me when the story takes place, I don't knowStory will containAbuseAlcoholkidnappingMentions of rapeDepressionSuicidal thoughts
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou & Aobajousai Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Datekougyou Volleyball Club | Date Tech Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Nekoma Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Shiratorizawa Academy Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 13
Kudos: 260





	1. cloudy day

It was just another boring school day for Shoyo Hinata. He didn’t learn much in class, and rarely just paid attention in general. He knew it was bad and would backfire, but he was excited to go to practice. Volleyball was one of the only things that brought joy into Shoyo’s life. It would be one of the only moments when he doesn’t have to put on a fake smile for the others. It’s the moment when he smiles for real.

Shoyo’s life hasn’t been the best. His father died a long time ago, right before his little sister, Natsu, was born. Shoyo and his mother both took the death in a bad way. He stopped talking to his school friends, quit any sports he was involved in, and rarely did his school work for almost a year. His teachers understood why and they didn’t force the young Shoyo to do much during the year of his grief. His mother, Amaya Hinata, took it in a bad way as well. She started to drink almost every night and would wake up so hungover that she could barely get Shoyo to school and for her to get to work on time. It only got worse when Natsu was born. 

Amaya, who would take her anger and sadness out of beer bottles or the walls and floor, would also take it out on whichever Hinata sibling was closeby. It was rarely Natsu, it was usually Shoyou. He would always protect Natsu from any harm that would try and come his way. Shoyo never hated his younger at all, not even when his injuries were really bad. He always found great joy in taking care of her and having someone to keep him company.

He managed to find out when his mom had a somewhat decent day and when she had an awful day by just the way she opened the front door to the house. Shoyo would always have warm food made for his mother when she returned to try and make the day better. He knew he was safe if his mother ever thanked him for the food. If she ate the food at a quick pace, he knew the day had been alright but he still needed to keep his guard up. If she ate the food at a slow pace, Shoyo would just start preparing for any pain to come his way.

His mom would hit him at night most of the time. He would urge Natsu to hide in her special corner as he would just sit on his bed in his room and await his punishment. Amaya would always yell at Shoyo that it was his fault his father had passed away. He never even got to find out the cause of death, he hoped it was quick and painless. He didn’t want to find out that his father would have been living in pain for so long.

Amaya’s words never fully sunk in with Shoyo when he was being beaten. She usually repeated the same words over and over again that he would just know what she was exactly saying, even if he wasn’t hearing it anymore.

_‘You worthless brat! You are the reason your father died! You can’t even do simple jobs! So many boys at your age can help run shops and all you can do is cook and clean! What are you, a housewife?! If I wanted a house worker that bad I should have just had a female!’_

She would also say how Shoyo has it easy, that people his age get beaten all the time for no reason. He should be grateful that he’s being hurt as a result of his own actions. He grew to believe that every bad thing that happened in his life was his fault. That he deserved the dozens of bruises and gashes. They rarely hurt anymore unless he accidentally put too much pressure on certain wounds.

He never told a single soul about the abuse or the wounds he had to bear on his own skin. The only person that knew was Natsu, who would do her best to patch up all of the wounds, apologizing that Shoyo had to protect her.

“I will protect you forever and ever, it’s just what older siblings do. I promise I will never let mom lay a hand on you.”

Natsu would always give her big brother the best hugs she could at the time. They all weren’t tight because she would fear that she would just hurt Shoyo more. She would still do her best to help her brother along the way. She would do her best to pick up anything to the best of her abilities, leaving her older brother with less work to do. Shoyo was always extremely grateful for this, he could rest a bit more before the night progressed.

Shoyo was spacing out again in class and was brought back to reality when the bell rang loudly. It was lunchtime, and he had promised Nishioya and Tanaka that he would accompany them. The downside was that he only made lunch for Natsu as they didn’t have much food in the house and he would rather have Natsu be happy than to be hungry. He would be able to get more food on the weekends, but for now, he would have to survive two more days with little food. Of course, he could ask his senpais for some extra food, but he didn’t want them to waste food on someone like him.

“Shoyo!” Noya called from across the way and basically came in to drag the other to the spot where the three will be sitting together. Tanaka was already there as Noya pointed to where Shoyo would go to sit. Both upperclassmen quickly noticed the missing lunch from Shoyo and were quick to offer up food.

“No no it’s fine guys, I’m just not hungry today because I ate a lot for dinner last night!” He said with a fake smile. He couldn’t worry his friends, and he also didn’t want them to give food to him because he just didn’t deserve it.

“Whatever you say Hinata, but don’t come crying to us when you can’t practice due to how tired you are.” Tanaka laughed and crossed his arms in a confident way. Shoyo just laughed with his faked bubbly attitude and smiled.

“You bet I won’t do that! I’ll never miss out on practicing, not even for a few minutes!”

Both Noya and Tanaka smiled at the other but also gave their warnings.

“Love that attitude! But remember Shoyo,” Noya started, “if you do need a break for your health, we all will make sure that you get one. Even if we do it by force.”

Those words made Shoyo anxious. One wrong move and he could be off the court. He would have to make sure he doesn’t slip up. He rarely does, and even if he did he could make up so many stories on the fly. Everyone believed them, which made him think that if he just faked it all, no one would notice. He didn’t want people to know that he was suffering at all. He just wanted his peers to be happy and rely on him. He didn’t need to rely on them at all.

Lunch ended and the day flew by pretty quickly, which means it’s Shoyo’s favorite time of the day, practice! He was already changed and ready to go before most of the team was there.

“Very enthusiastic Hinata, you seem to be really excited,” Daichi entered the gym with his normal smile followed by Suga and Asahi, who both just smiled warmly.

“Yes! I’m excited for practice today! It’s going to be so much fun!” He cheered.

“It’s just practice, I don’t understand why you would be so excited for something that happens every day,” Tsukishima entered the gym with Yamaguchi trailing behind.

Shoyo didn’t respond verbally, just rolled his eyes as he saw Kageyama enter the gym and raced up to him, fire in his eyes.

“I bet you 10 meat buns that we are going to hit over 75% of our quick attack!”

Kageyama just gave a weird look before having a smug with his response.

“Fine idiot, I bet we will hit 90% of them!”

“Deal!”

Everyone soon was in the gym, Yachi and Kyoko entered last. While Kyoko was being simped on by Tanaka and Nishioya, Yachi greeted everyone and prepared for the practice.

“Hey Hinata, Kageyama! There’s a big test coming up right?” Yachi said warmly as she walked over to the duo.

Both had forgotten about the test. It was in their English class and it was supposed to cover all of the words and grammar they had learned that. Both Shoyo and Tobio just stood there and even tried to look away while Yachi panicked.

“You guys! You need to pass this test or Takeda would not let you do to Tokyo next week!”

Right, if the two had failed the test they would be put on probation. Shoyo had been looking forward to going to Tokyo so he could see all of his friends and get even stronger. They couldn’t miss it, not at all. He had managed to convince his mom to go on that two-week business trip so he could make it. He had planned it all out so Natsu would be alright as well.

“Yachi you have to help meeee,” he panicked and gripped Yachi’s hands in a pleading way. Yachi was panicking but tried to explain her situation.

“I can’t help you study this weekend, my mom needs my help with something, I’m so sorry, but I can hook you up with my other friend Hoshi.”

Shoyo had only heard of this friend a couple of times. Her name was Hoshi Nanami. She had fair skin and very long and gorgeous black hair. She was very smart but also very kind. She was a first-year and a lot of the boys (and even some girls) liked her. Shoyo just saw her as someone who was super smart, he never had a crush on her.

“Really!? Yay! You are the best Yachi!” Shoyo cheered.

“No-no, it’s not that big of a deal!” Yachi said flustered, “I’ll give you her number after practice and inform her that you two need help!”

“Thank you so much!”

“It’s not a problem Hinata!”

\---

Practice was really fun to Shoyo. He rarely missed any spikes and only messed up on a couple of receives. The best part was, he didn’t get hit in the face once! Now all that was left was to see who won the bet. The duo had walked over to the managers, who were keeping track of all the progress.

“So Kiyoko?” Shoyo bounced at the taller manager, who looked at her notebook and started doing the math before turning her head up.

“85% accuracy, it’s gotten really better.”

Shoyo cheered and nagged at Kageyama, who just yelled back angrily.

“Alright Kageyama, that’s 10 meat buns you need to give me! You can give them to me next week when we get on the bus!”

The other only grumbled in reply and walked away.

After the gym was all cleaned up and everyone was dismissed, Shoyo ran out quickly. His smiling face instantly turned to panic and seriousness. Practice had gone on for too long and that would mean that Natsu could be in danger. He couldn’t have his sister injured at all, he would feel like an awful older brother.

The ride home was speedy and quick, the adrenaline had kicked in and he had made it home in no time, quickly opening the door and stepped in quickly. He yelled ‘I’m home!’ as loud as he could to try and see what kind of mood his mom was in.

“Shut up Shoyo!” Amaya angrily yelled from the living room. Her tone was filled with venom as she walked over to him. She was obviously drunk, and that meant a lot of pain was to come to him, and hopefully only him.

“Why are you home so late? I missed dinner because of your slowness," Amaya grunted as she grabbed Shoyo by the collar.

“I-’m sorry m-mom practice went on fo-for longer than n-normal,” he choked out the words before Amaya threw him to the ground as hard as she could.

“You should have just not gotten into that stupid sport. It only weakens you and makes it so much difficult for us. You should just quit” She yelled angrily as she threw a punch at Shoyo’s face, causing him to fall back.

“I need another drink,” Amaya grumbled and walked away as Shoyo got up, not being acknowledged anymore. He made his way upstairs and knocked on Natu’s door in a special way, two quick knocks and one slow knock afterward. The door swung open and revealed Natsu, who looked shaky but unscathed.

“Did she hurt you Natsu?” Shoyo quickly asked, getting a shake of the other head in response causing a wave of relief to wash over the other.

“It souwned wike it hwrt, are you ok Showo?” Her tiredness made her words slur as she has a slight look of fear in her eyes.

“I’m fine Natsu, mom didn’t hurt me,” Shoyo gave the best smile before wishing the other good night as he headed to the washroom to clean up the bruise on his eye. It was starting to bruise, which means he would have to make up a story. He thought about it for a moment before getting the perfect excuse in his head. He made sure his mother was asleep before he headed to his room to message Kenma as he does daily and prepares for sleep.


	2. it's tiring to keep up a fake smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the days leading up to the trip to Tokyo. Some teammates are worried about Shoyo but all he is worried about is making sure he passes the huge test and that he is prepared for Tokyo. He even got help from Yachi's friend, isn't that great?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the huge delay in the chapter coming out. I alternate between fics and so the next chapter probably won't come out for another week or so, I'm really sorry. I hope you are liking the story so far though!

The rest of the week leading up to the big test was brutal for Shoyo. He studied and studied while making sure he was on his mom’s good side. He had gotten Hoshi’s number the day after because he had to race home after practice. He got to speak to Hoshi the day he got her number as well. She was so bright and excited to help Shoyo. They had set up a date and time that would work out for both of them perfectly. Amaya would be for her trip on the day they had planned so there wouldn’t be much stress on Shoyo. He ad convinced an old friend to have someone watch over Natsu while he would be in Tokyo. It would be one of the best two weeks in a while for Shoyo Hinata.

The only problems Shoyo faced were the day after his mom hurt him. He had a black eye and a large bruise on his left arm. It had caused a lot of worry to his friends, including the team. Even Tsukishima paid a bit more attention to him, even if he didn’t show full concern. Out of all the members, the ones that seemed to be the most worried were Nishinoya, Suga, Yachi, Daichi, and even Kageyama, who didn’t scream at Shoyo after he told them that he just had fallen off his bike on the way home from practice. They had even spoken to each other in private due to their suspicions.

“Do you think that Hinata is acting differently than normal, especially these past few weeks?” Suga asked Daichi, who thought about it for a moment but before he could respond, Yachi, Nishinoya, and Kageyama approached.

“He said he would meet with me after practice to exchange phone numbers with another classmate, but he was nowhere to be seen after practice had finally ended,” Yachi spoke, a small look of concern was on her face.

“Yesterday he had no lunch when we sat together with Tanaka. We offered him a lot of our food, but he said he didn’t want anything, saying how he ate a large dinner or something,” Nishinoya added on, “plus, normally people would ger more scratches on their bodies if they had fallen off of a bike, but there’s none in sight.

“He seems to be hiding a lot of his injuries, sometimes I can see faded bruises or cuts all over his body. He makes excuse after excuse and never really seems to want others to worry, but he seemed tired and slow today. He spaced out more than normal and apologized for stuff he didn’t even do wrong,” Kageyama spoke, surprising the group that he had paid attention to Shoyo more than it had seemed.

“That is truly worrying. If there is something going on internally then we need to do something about it. Not just for the sake of our performance, but for the team in general. We would never want someone hurt, and if someone is hurting Hinata, then we will do something about it,” Daichi said after a moment of thinking.

“Don’t you think that...that...maybe Hinata doesn’t want help?” Yachi asked softly.

“That idiot is going to get our help no matter what he thinks. If this is harming him than we need to help him no matter what he says,” Kageyama spoke with some anger in his voice, startling the others slightly.

“I swear if someone at this school is hurting my underclassman, I will beat them up until they don’t even look like themselves!” Nishinoya grumbled under his breath before Daichi gave him a glare.

“We don’t need you suspended or worse, expelled Noya,” Suga said calmly to try and stop Daichi from chewing the other out, “we would be making things a lot worse.”

“We need to solve this issue as peacefully as possible and try to not let Hinata know of our plans,” Daichi folded his arms before sighing, “hopefully this is just a big misunderstanding and nothing is actually wrong.” No one said anything, but they all were thinking of the same exact thing.

It was late and even though they didn’t have practice tomorrow, they all still needed to be home; therefore Suga decided to make a group chat for the five and they each went on their ways. Both Daichi and Suga went home to prepare for the trip to Tokyo. Both packing some extra things with Shoyo in mind. Nishinoya was at a local restaurant eating all he could mouth. Yachi was also preparing, but asking her mom for help with packing and gathering a care package for Shoyo to try and cheer him up. Kageyama went home and prepared for the test on Monday.

Amaya was in a good mood, which meant that Shoyo could relax for the night. She even bought groceries on her way home from work. Shoyo still had to make dinner, but he felt a bit happier that there was more food for Natsu and Amaya. Shoyo didn’t care much about his intake of food. He would only eat if necessary, or if he felt a bit sick. He only ate if there was enough food for him. Natsu never liked that though, she would always try to find ways to give Shoyo food. She had even made a fake lunch for herself using clay to pretend like she had an actual lunch while slipping the real food into Shoyo’s bag. He was mad but was happy that Natsu was extremely kind. 

It was still dark when Shoyo had woken up, but Amaya had already left for her trip. Shoyo didn’t actually know where his mother was going, he really didn’t care though. He spent his time studying and making breakfast for Natsu. He also had some time to prepare before going to Hoshi’s. He was leaving the house by the time Natsu was awake and cycling down the street at a slower pace than normal. The air was crisp and felt nice as he made his way to his tutor’s house. It was pretty far away, but that didn’t stop Shoyo.

Hoshi’s house was huge compared to Shoyo’s. It almost looked like a mansion with its fanciness. Hoshi was waving with a bright smile as Shoyo rode up to her house. Hoshi was wearing a purple sleeveless shirt and some black lounge shorts. She had round glasses and a five-pointed star hair clip. She looked as elegant as her house looked. It didn’t really surprise Shoyo due to how famous Hoshi seemed.

“Hello Hinata!” Hoshi greeted with a huge smile.

“Hi Nanami!” He greeted back with as much energy he could make.

“Please, call me Nana or even Hoshi if you are comfortable with that,” Hoshi spoke as she pulled Shoyo into her elegant house. All the decor and furniture looked so pretty to Shoyo. His house could never look this clean or have all this fancy stuff.

“Your house is so pretty Nana!’ Shoyo bounced around the house.

“Oh thank you, Hinata,” Hoshi said kindly as she dragged him over to a table where there were snacks and drinks along with her notebooks. It was the perfect set up for a tutor session.

“I’m not as good as Hitoka, but I still will be able to help you,”

“I still appreciate your help Nanami, er, Nana,”

“Anything for a friend!” Hoshi bounced to the table and sat down, patting a seat next to her for where Shoyo would be sitting, smiling innocently.

Shoyo was starting to relax. He still had his bubbly personality on, but he wasn’t so tense anymore. He was eyeing the drinks and snacks though, worried that they would be wasting food.

“Are you sure that you are putting out so much food for a small session like this, I mean I don’t want you to be wasting a-” Shoyo started before being interrupted.

“It’s not a problem at all Sh-ah, Hinata,” Hoshi shrugged, “eating helps me focus so I thought it could help you.”

“O-oh! Thank you Nanami!”

“Please, call me Nana or Hoshi,”

“Ah sorry Nana!”

Hours had passed by with the two studying together. Their bodies were almost touching as Hoshi helped Shoyo with each problem he had with her warm smile. Shoyo found her so nice and helpful. How she looked at him deeply when she would help with a question, the way she guided him, and even her leaning against him felt weird to him though. It was a bit _too_ close for Shoyo, but he didn’t want to hurt the other feelings so he put up with it.

At the end of the session, he had mesmerized all of the material he needed to know and even some extra stuff. He felt extra confident for the test, maybe he could bet Kageyama for something. Nothing that would be too burdening though. He didn’t want to upset the other. He hoped that the meat buns the other owes him aren’t too burdening. If anything, Shoyo can just give them to Kageyama if they cost too much.

“I should get going Nana,” Hoshi just whined as Shoyo stopped up and gathered his stuff, but noticed his handkerchief was missing. He always carried it so maybe it fell onto the floor? He tried looking but saw nothing. Maybe he just left it at home, he was a clumsy idiot like that anyways.

“Is there something wrong Hinata?” Hoshi sat up, looking at him.

“Ah I thought I had brought something but I probably just left it at home. I should get going though, I don’t want to bother you anymore,” He waved as he got ready to leave fully.

“If I find something, I’ll return it to you tomorrow! Have a safe trip home!” Hoshi waved as Shoyo left the huge house and headed home.

Hoshi sighed, as her face fell. She frowned and took a small item out of her pocket and rubbed it against her face.

_“Soon, my love, soon.”_

Shoyo took some time to get home knowing that Amaya wasn’t present. Natsu knew how to care for herself and even if she needed anything, she could just text him with the spare phone that he had given her.

“I’M HOME!” Shoyo exclaimed as he stepped inside his empty home, well almost empty except for a happy Natsu, that just gave him the biggest hug she could.

“Welcome home Shoyo! I have all of my stuff packed for Fugi’s so there’s no need to help me with packing!” Natsu exclaimed happily. 

“You don’t go to her house until Wednesday you goof, it’s only Saturday,” Shoyo just chuckled.

“Oh! Oh! I ate my dinner so you don’t need to make me anything!”

“That’s incredible Natsu! I’m super proud of you, but it’s late and we both are going to head to bed,” Shoyo said as he dragged his feet upstairs as Natsu followed.

“Good night Sho-Sho,”

“Sho-Sho?”

“It’s a nickname I came up with, do you like it?”

“I love it Natsu, have a good sleep.”

“You too Sho-Sho!”


	3. An exam and a trip to Wacdonalds

“Hey, Hinata!” Hoshi waved at the other as he entered the classroom. Shoyo was surprised that someone as popular as Hoshi was personally greeting him. I mean, they did have a tutoring session but Shoyo was still confused as to why she was acting like a friend.

“Ah hello Nana,” Shoyo forced a kind smile. He had been tired due to staying up all night studying. He told himself and Natsu that he would take it easy while their mother was on the trip, but he needed to push himself a little longer so he could pass this test and go to Tokyo with the team. He couldn’t let them down at such an important moment.

“You don’t look so good, maybe you should head to the nurse,” Hoshi looked at Shoyo with concern. “I don’t want you getting hurt before you go to Tokyo.”

“I’m fine Nana, I just stayed up studying a lot for today, plus if I went to the nurse’s office now I might miss the test.”

“I guess you are right, well please don’t strain yourself. I would hate to see you in a bad condition.”

Shoyo just smiled as the first-period bell rang, signalizing that the dreadful test was about to begin. He had studied until his mind gave up, but he didn’t know if Kageyama studied or not. He hoped Kageyama did study because without him, Shoyo isn’t going to help Karasuno score points, and then they would lose. He hated the feeling of losing, it felt like he was being crushed every time Karasuno lost to another team. He would blame himself entirely and wouldn’t forgive himself. This would cause him to only push himself past his limits. No one liked it when Shoyo did this, so they would all try their best to win.

The test was passed out after a bit and Shoyo decided to do a technique Hoshi taught him, read all the questions first so you know what to expect on the test. After that, fill in all the questions you know, and then go back to finish the other questions that you didn’t know at the time. The issue for Shoyo was that he basically knew every answer. The test seemed too easy. Maybe this is what studying really does to help. Shoyo was done pretty quickly, he triple checked his answers before turning it in. The class wasn’t over yet so he just dozed for a little bit. A little rest would help him so much, he worried that his recent all-nighters and lack of food could put a toll on him. Especially at practice, where he might collapse. He couldn’t collapse now, not when they were getting so good and he worked so hard for this. 

The rest of the school day was a blur to Shoyo. All he could fully tell someone is that he got a little mad at Natsu because she had packed him an actual lunch and didn't give herself food again. Or maybe she did, they did get groceries recently so it was enough to feed them for a bit.

Practice was a bit harder than normal, he had slipped up a little bit and caused some of the members to get worried, but with another excuse from his mouth, they were back to normal. He just needed one more day before he could go to Tokyo.

Shoyo carefully opened the door, shouting ‘I’m home!’ to try and see what kind of day it was, but then he remembered that his mother wasn’t even home. He sighed in relief as Natsu ran to him and gave him a hug and toothy smile.

“Hi, Shoyo! Welcome home! Did you like the lunch I made for you? I know you don’t like it when I make you food but I had Ro-Ro’s mom make me lunch so I could make you some food. You need to be well-fed enough for your trip!” Natsu was speaking very quickly and it was hard for Shoyo to keep up. He just put his hand up to try and slow the youngest Hinata down as he responded to what she was saying.

“Hello Natsu, thank you for the warm welcome. I did enjoy the food you made for me, I was upset that you didn’t get enough food but if Ro-Ro gave you food then it’s all good. Hopefully, I can find a way to thank her mother for all the help she has given you.”

Ro-Ro, or Rosuto Aoki, was one of Natsu’s really close friends. Her mom, Lillian Aoki knows about what is going on with Amaya, being her childhood friend, and does whatever she can do to help in subtle ways. She makes food for Natsu when the house is low on groceries and Shoyo always finds a way to thank her back, even if Lillian says it is not necessary.

“Ro-Ro’s mom also said she was going to pick me up and take me somewhere for dinner. She invited you to come along as well. She said that even though both families have food at home, she wanted to give us a little treat. She wants to pay for it as well and say not to worry about the cost.”

It would be nice to get out of the house for a little. Shoyo didn’t have any homework or anything else to study for, so there really was no excuse for him not to go. Plus, he didn’t want to waste any food at the house so they had enough for the second week that they would be alone from Amaya. He eventually realized that he must've stayed silent for a while and had to respond to Natsu.

“That sounds like a good idea. Is this place going to be fancy or a fast food place like Wacdonalds?”

“Ro-Ro wanted to get fast food when we were walking home, so yeah, fast food!” Natsu smiled, putting her arms up in the air, causing Shoyo to chuckle warmly. The only reason why he had asked was so he could know how to dress appropriately. He looked at the clock which read 17:30 (5:30 pm). Practice was shorter than normal because the staff had to prepare for the trip.

“What time did Mrs. Aoki say she was coming to pick you up?”

“She said around 17:45(5:45 pm) or 18:00 (6 pm) I believe.”

“Ok, just make sure you have all of your work, if you have any, done before we go. We might be out for a while and you might get sleepy.”

Getting an ok from Natsu, Shoyo went to his room to relax for a while before the siblings got picked up. He looked around for his wallet so he could pay for Natsu and his dinner. His wallet was on a shelf in his closet in a neat manner. A quick glance inside showed that he had enough for 2 meals, hopefully. Paying Lillian back was a priority to Shoyo, she helps them out a lot, including tonight.

His small cell phone buzzed on his desk, telling Shoyo that someone had texted him. He had no idea who had texted him though. Kenma texts at around 21:00 (9 pm), Yachi said she was busy with Kiyoko and the coaches setting up for the Tokyo trip, Kageyama doesn’t really text him unless it’s really important. Lillian doesn’t have his number yet, only Amaya’s. So who could it be?

A quick glance at his phone screen showed the name ‘Nana’. As in Hoshi Nanami. What could she possibly want? Maybe asking how the test went? Maybe he left something at her house and she had just found it? Only one way to find out.

**Nana: Hey Hinata, just wanted to let you know that I found your handkerchief, but the cat at my house got to it first. I’m so sorry, but it got ruined due to her claws. I was going to tell you today earlier, but the bell had rang and I didn't see you for the rest of the day. If you don't mind, I was making you a new one and I almost have it completed. I can give it to you at school tomorrow if you want!**

So it was the third idea. He knew he had left something at her house, and his handkerchief of all things. He felt stupid, but it was so nice of her to make him a new one. He will have to pay her back somehow. He quickly typed up a response.

**Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry I left that there. It must have fallen out of my bag. Don’t worry about it being destroyed, also thank you for making me a new one. You didn’t have to. If there is anything I can do to pay you back, let me know.**

********

********

Shoyo waited for her to respond. There were about 15 more minutes until the time frame when Natsu and he were going to get picked up. He just sat on his bed and waited for a response from the other that he was texting. Soon enough, the buzzing indicated that he got a response.

**Nana: No need to apologize, people always drop stuff, it’s not a big deal. Also, not a problem, I love sewing and making people things, so it will be a fun project for me. Also please don’t stress yourself to pay me back. It’s fun helping people out so if you enjoy it, it’s enough for me. I have to go for now, take care Hinata!**

Shoyo smiled as he pocketed his phone and went to see if he needed to clean anything. It was something to kill time and help him stay focused on one certain thing. There were some dishes in the sink that should be cleaned. Amaya probably didn’t clean them before she left, and knowing her, she would get mad if they were found dirty in the sink. There weren’t many, so it would only take Shoyo 10-15 minutes, the perfect amount of time. He began cleaning at a quick pace, after he cleaned and dried 2 of them, he was able to get a good rhythm going, and as he thought, 15 minutes went by and he had completed the small task. Lillian wasn’t there yet, so he decided to tidy himself up. He had a normal shirt and shorts on so he was dressed fine. His hair was his normal, somewhat kept, fashion. He looked pretty good, not looking as tired as he actually was.

“Hey Natsu, are you ready? Ro-Ro and Mrs. Aoki will be here very soon. You better be ready,” Shoyo called out to his sister, who walked into the main room in response. She looked ready, with a light blue shirt and a white skirt. Her hair was also kept neatly, showing her older brother that she was indeed ready to go out.

Soon enough, the knock on the door signified that the two were there to pick the Hinata’s up. Shoyo grabbed his wallet and ran to greet the two. Rosuto was the one that knocked, as she was the closest to the door. She was a bit shorter than Natsu, with brown eyes and brown hair that was in two low pigtails and square glasses. She wore a pink shirt and some black shorts with some black sneakers. Lillian was pretty tall with long, black hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a white lace shirt and some black leggings. She was also on the young side and seemed to be a cheerful woman.

“Ro-Ro!” Natsu hugged the other child and Shoyo and Lillian bowed to each other.

“Hello Shoyo,” Lillian smiled. Shoyo lets Lillian call him by his first name because she was close to the Hinata’s, but he was only referred to her as Mrs. Aoki.

“Hello Mrs. Aoki,” Shoyo smiled.

“You can call me Lillian you know, now let's get going. You can sit in the front and those two can sit in the back of course,” Lillian walked to the car as the other three followed, sitting where Lillian said they could. The car ride was noisy as the two younger ones kept on talking on and on while the two in the front had a nice and soft conversation.

“So Shoyo, how have you been? I know it’s not ideal, but hopefully, you have been alright?”

“It’s been...tolerable for now I guess. Amaya...mom...has been a bit more aggressive, but nothing too concerning I guess.”

“Honey, her just being aggressive is concerning enough. She shouldn’t be hitting her children.”

“Yeah...she hasn’t gotten to Natsu to my knowledge, which is good. Natsu has seen her hurt me though, which isn’t what I want but it’s better than her getting hurt. At least we get a break as she is on a two-week trip but I don’t know where so I’m going to Tokyo with my team and Natsu is staying at another family friend’s house so she doesn’t have to come with me and get anymore stressed out. School has been fine I guess, I’m passing...but not in a way I want to. I’ve had a friend tutor me though. I think I passed my test I had today though, hopefully, and if I do, I can go with my team.”

Lillian listened quietly as she drove before responding.

“It’s good that she hasn’t gotten to Natsu. You are doing a good job of helping her. I don’t like how you are sacrificing yourself and that you are still getting hurt to this day, but it is what you need to do. Once we get enough evidence and come up with a plan, we will get you two away from her.”

Shoyo and Lillian always talked about getting Amaya away, and Shoyo has always had troubling thoughts about it. He wanted to get away from the pain, but what was going to happen to his mother? He didn’t wish anything bad to happen to her, even if she hurts him all the time. It was just hard.

“Alright, we are here!” Lillian stated as she pulled into the parking lot of a Wacdonalds and everyone got out, the cheers of the younger kids could be heard as all raced inside. Shoyo and Lillian following after them with smiles and chuckles.

The place wasn’t busy so they were able to order quickly. Shoyo, Rosuto, and Natsu all got chicken nuggets and Lillian got a cheeseburger. The youngest ones got apple juice to drink as it came with their kid's meals and Shoyo and Lillian got medium sodas. The food was amazing for them all, it wasn’t good for them but it tasted amazing. It was just a fun night as everyone talked with each other. Shoyo was also able to slip the amount of money for his and Natsu’s food into Lillian's bag so it was a win for him. Soon enough, it was getting dark and they were heading home. Nastu and Rosuto were dozing off in the back while Lillian and Shoyo sat silently in the front.

“Thank you, Lillian,” Shoyo mumbled, finally using the older one’s first name, who smiled in response.

“Anytime Shoyo,” Lillian responded, “If you need anything, just let me know, I can give you my number when I drop you two off at your house,” Shoyo just tiredly nodded as he rested against the car seat.

After a silent but comforting silent ride, Shoyo being able to close his eyes for the majority of it eventually reached the Hinata residence. Natsu tiredly got out and said goodbye to Rosuto. Shoyo got Lillian's phone number as they exchanged contacts.

“You left this at the restaurant by the way,” Lillian handed Shoyo his wallet with a kind smile.

“Oh, thank you so much for picking it up. I thought I pocketed it back there. Also, thanks again for taking us out for dinner, it means a lot.”

“It is not a problem Shoyo, now hurry inside and get some rest, you have school tomorrow.”

Shoyo nodded as the two siblings went inside, Natsu going to bed instantly and Shoyo planning on doing the same. He placed his phone on his desk after sending goodnight messages to some people. He placed his wallet on the shelf where it was, only to see a small, white piece of paper poking out of it. Inspecting it revealed that the money he gave to Lillian was doubled and the note, in her handwriting, read:

_Please take this, you need it more than I do right now. Didn’t I also say I was going to pay? Thanks for the thought though. If you need anything, you have my number and please call me whenever, I will help you as soon as possible Shoyo._

The note just made Shoyo laugh as he placed it on his desk, fixing up his wallet, and soon enough falling onto his bed and falling asleep with no injuries on this day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consistent posting schedule who is she


	4. snowy morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quiet before the storm.

Most people see mornings as a quiet before the storm, unlike the Hinata's, which mornings were always stressful, specifically the siblings. Shoyo had to get up early all the time, every morning. He needed to make breakfast for his sister and mother and pack up to get to morning practice. He was grateful that he was able to wake up energized enough to make it through the day.

This morning, however, was different. Shoyo had to wake up at 4:15 and was just drained. He stayed up until 2 to pack and clean the house because he would be gone for around 4 days. Thankfully he didn't have to worry about Natsu as she was already sheltered and safe at the Fugi's. Shoyo trusted the Fugi family a lot; they have known the Hinata's since Shoyo was in elementary school. Sayuri Fugi was a teacher at his elementary school, a young, spunky, and imaginative person that always had her class engaged. Shoyo adored her, and she was the first to turn to him when she had heard about what happened with his father. She always tried to converse to Shoyo and acted more like a mother to him when Amaya couldn't.

He reached out to her when he was in middle school and requested help with Natsu. Sayuri was eager to help his younger sibling when Amaya and Shoyo had to do something one weekend. Sayuri insisted that she could take care of Natsu, and she did just that. Shoyo also found out that Sayuri has a sister, Sakura. Sakura was smaller and more reserved than her younger sister but was very mature. He was fretted that Natsu would despise being at a stranger's house, but when he went to pick her up, she didn't want to leave because she loved the sisters so much.

From then on, he trusted the sisters with Natsu when the other two Hinata's in the family couldn't take care of her. Sayuri was still a teacher throughout the years; he relied on them, and Sakura was an animator for a popular anime at the time. Shoyo blamed Sakura when Natsu wanted to watch anime and draw a lot. All she did was laugh. Sayuri agreed with Shoyo and gave him the fact that Sakura always let Natsu draw and gave her drawing tips and watched anime on their small television. Natsu did say that she didn't have a favorite Fugi sibling, that both had their fun qualities and were able to make her happy in their own ways.

Shoyo gave himself a small breakfast, way too small, and grabbed the stuff he had packed to head to the school. He was supposed to race Kageyama to the gym, but he would most likely get there earlier than the other. If the other gets mad at Shoyo, he will just laugh in his face.

The air was cold, and it seemed as if a small amount of snow fell to the ground the previous night. Shoyo could see his breath every time he breathed out of his mouth. The sky was still dark, the moon was lowering, but it covered that part of the earth with its light. Streetlights also covered the pavements and roads with a warm, orange glow. Some people consider it is creepy to be walking around when there is no one awake to fill the streets with noise. To Shoyo, he always found it calming. The way how he could hear his bike cycling, his breathing, and even nature just doing its job. The only problem he had was the winter's breath biting at his bare skin, specifically his face.

After a while of cycling, he parked his bike in his usual spot and started walking to the gym. Ukai and Takeda told them to be at the gym by 5:30, so they could leave and arrive early for a day's worth of practice games. It was 4:45 by the time he arrived at the gym, the sun's light barely poking at the sky and starting its job of giving the land warmth and light.

No one seemed to be at the gym, or even at Karasuno yet; Shoyo did tell himself that it was still very early. The others are probably getting ready or are already on their way. He yawned as he made his way to the club room to wait; Daichi had the key so that Shoyo couldn't enter the room just yet. He wasn't one to complain about waiting, though; it was his idea to arrive early, so he knew he had to wait a bit.

Walking up to the entrance of the school, Shoyo walked softly and slowly. He usually ran so he could beat Kageyama in the races they always did. It felt calming but also odd to be walking this slowly. Even though his legs did want him to run, there really is no point. Well, until a shadow whizzed past Shoyo quickly6. Shoyo caught off guard, ran after the shadow, realizing its Kageyama, ran ahead of him. Well, he came to that conclusion because who else would be running this quickly to the volleyball club room. Shoyo was fast, but he got a slow start and couldn't catch up to Kageyama by the time he reached the clubroom.

"That's not fair, Bakeyama! You got a head start!" Shoyo yelled at Kageyama between deep breaths. The cold air makes their throats burn and feel dry.

"No, idiot, you were the one that got a head start; you just didn't utilize it well," Kageyama sighed as he sat down to catch his breath. Shoyo sat close to him, a few feet apart, to be exact. The area was small, and they just liked to keep each other company. It was a minute of silence, and they stabilizing their breath as Shoyo sighed and leaned against the metal railing and closed his eyes. He was tired and hungry at this point from running on an empty stomach, and that stomach yelled at Shoyo with its loud grumble, filling the air with noise. It was embarrassing for Shoyo, but at least he wasn't in school where all his peers could laugh at him.

He knew someone, probably Suga, was going to pack snacks for the ride so he could ask them for one of them. Suddenly, something warm was shoved into his chest, surprising him. He grabbed whatever Kageyama shoved into his hands and looked at it. The warm object was a meat bun, perfectly rounded and secured in a smooth plastic wrap. Kageyama looked away quickly, a small blush hinting on his cheeks.

"I owe you, right?" He said quickly, "I brought 5 for the trip so that I will give you the others throughout the ride and when we get to Tokyo."

Shoyo felt terrible that he was taking it from Kageyama, but he knew if he gave the bun back to him, he will get mad and yell at Shoyo to eat the bun.

"Oh! Thank you, Bakeyama," Shoyo cheered as he opened the packaging, thanked for the food, and dug in slowly. He wanted to wolf it down, but he tried to savor every possible moment for two main reasons. One, it was amazing! The flavor and taste were incredible. The other reason was to try and trick his stomach that he ate way more than that one bun. He also noticed that Kageyama pulled out a small bento box that you could find at a convenience store, one where you throw it away once you are done with it. He ate quietly and at an average speed. 

"Did you not eat breakfast, Kageyama?" Shoyo asked the other, who took a few moments to chew some of his food before responding.

"I was in a rush to get out of the house, so I just stopped at a store and got this. What about you? Why didn't you eat?" He asked Shoyo; his eyebrow raised slightly.

"Oh, I ate; I just didn't eat enough because I overslept and was in a rush, so I only ate an energy bar, but thank you for the meat bun! I didn't know you could be kind like that," Shoyo teased Kageyama, who just grumbled before going back to eating his breakfast.

They sat in silence for a while; Shoyo watched the sunrise, and Kageyama wasn't saying anything. Shoyo presumed that his friend was asleep, as he could hear some soft snores occasionally. It was peaceful, like how mornings should be. Being able to watch the sunrise on the winter land.

"Huh, guess I didn't wake up early enough; it looks like you two made it here before me," a voice alerted Shoyo as he turned his head to look at who was speaking. It was Suga, who walked up to Shoyo and sleeping Kageyama. Suga looked at Kageyama and just snickered as he jangled a key ring around his finger.

"I told Daichi that I would be here first, so I would open up the club room for the people who got here early. It's not much of a surprise that you two were here before anyone else, though," Suga inserted the key into the door's handle and opened the club room. It was small, but it was warmer than the cold outside.

"C'mon, we have blankets and a small but useful heater in there," Suga gestured for Shoyo to go into the room. Kageyama was still sleeping as the other gathered the stuff he spread out to move it inside. Suga shook Kageyama awake, who just grumbled as he piled into the club room, and then fell asleep against the wall, under a clock that read 5:15.

Shoyo placed his stuff down and stepped outside to watch the sunrise. It wasn't cold enough for him to feel uncomfortable, plus the pretty view made him forget about the temperature. 

"Peaceful, huh?" Suga's voice startled Shoyo slightly, but he kept looking at the warm sun.

"Yeah! It's really peaceful and quiet!" Shoyo tried to seem all energetic and bubbly like he usually does, but he just sounded weary.

Suga nodded with his usual smile before leaning against the railing and staring in the same direction as the other. It was pure silence for a moment, almost feeling awkward. It seemed like Suga was trying to think of what to say. Sometimes, Shoyo couldn't get into the heads of his teammates. Right now, Suga was giving him that feeling of confusion. 

"Hey, Hinata..." Suga started. The tone made Suga seem like he was worried or just asking a question.

"Yes, Suga?"

"Is everything alright? Like at home?"

The question didn't even feel like it came out of his upperclassmen. It seemed as time stopped when he was asked. The question Suga said was one of the only things Shoyo never wanted his friends to ask him. He always wanted to show that he was alright, that he could fly.

"Why do you ask that?" was the only thing that Shoyo could return with, his voice slightly hesitating.

"You have just been acting less...yourself recently. I don't know, maybe I'm just worried too much," Suga shrugged, his voice still having the tone of concern, but it was more hidden.

"I'm fine, Suga! I probably was just off because I was worried about passing my exam. I don't want to let people down by not being able to go to Tokyo!" Shoyo exclaimed. He smiled at the other with a big, toothy smile. Suga smiled softly before going back to looking at the sunrise.

The silence wasn't awkward this time. It was just the two trying to enjoy the morning quietly. Both were extremely tired; you could tell by the small circles appearing under their eyes. Like many people, they both were planning to sleep on the bus all the way to Tokyo. There's something about how the bus bounces up and down; the feeling of it moving caused many people to sleep easily.

"Great way to show enthusiasm, you two!" Daichi walked up, holding all of his bags, and gave the two a thumbs up.

"I was tasked with opening the club room Daichi," Suga rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Hinata and Kageyama got here first because they both love to race."

Daichi just chuckled and walked to the club room silently after seeing Kageyama asleep. He placed his stuff down and sat on the ground, reading something. Suga went back into the room to sit on the floor, softly communicating something inaudible to Daichi. Shoyo went back to looking at the snow and getting lost in his thoughts. He was mostly worried about Natsu and his mom coming home early to no one in the house.

"Wow, he finally isn't talking his head off," a voice caused Shoyo to look away, revealing a tired Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi just gave a small snicker and wave to Shoyo, who waved back. Shoyo just stuck his tongue out at the blond male., who just rolled his eyes.

One by one, the rest of the team was slowly arriving. Some members seemed like they were going to fall asleep at any moment. Others looked somewhat energized, but everyone was tired in some way. They all waited for the coaches to arrive. Noya and Tanaka were talking to each other; all the third years were discussing something. Yachi was asleep on Kiyoko's shoulder, making Tanaka and Noya jealous. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were also speaking to each other, but it was soft. Narita and Kinoshita were sleeping near each other. Ennoshita was making sure the others weren't causing any trouble, mostly just glaring at Noya and Tanaka. Soon enough, Ukai and Takeda arrived. Takeda looked more tired than anyone else, and Ukai looked the most awake.

"Alright, it looks like everyone made it here in time. I will go grab the bus, and you all need to pack up your stuff into it," Ukai nodded and walked away to grab the vehicle they were going to use. Everyone tiredly grabbed their stuff, some complainingly lowly when they had to be woken up from their nap. Everyone was silent as they waited though, not a single peep was heard from anyone. Soon enough, the bus was pulled up by Ukai, and everyone grabbed their stuff and packed it up into the bus. After that, everyone sat where they usually did, it wasn't enforced, but everyone subconsciously agreed to sit next to the same person in the same seat every time. Not even five minutes after everyone sat down, Kageyama was already fast asleep again, leaning onto Shoyo's shoulder for support. Shoyo was asleep on Kageyama as well. Others had fallen asleep as well. Besides Ukai, no one was awake; they all dozed off as they waited to arrive in Tokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm out here sitting in math, the only person in the class who wasn't assigned a thing to do and I don't want to ask the teacher what he wants me to do


End file.
